Rift
by Cyan and Bradmon
Summary: A fight between TK and Davis splits the Digidestined into two groups. But apart, they are all at risk. Can the digimon bring the two sides together again before everything falls apart? Includes the most complex battle scene ever written on ff.net!
1. Trouble in Digiworld

** The Cyan Chronicles III **

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Rift 

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_**Authors' Notes**_

**Authors**  
This story was written jointly by Cyan ([cyan683@hotmail.com][1], **IRC** _(Austnet):_ **Cyan683**, primarily on **#digimon!** or **#earthbound**) and Bradmon ([bradlegar@hotmail.com][2]). It was a fascinating and productive collaboration: Bradmon wrote the outline and the story itself, while Cyan wrote a lot of the dialogue, made sure the story was true to the Digimon series, and contributed many suggestions and corrections. Time consuming, too. It took us about two months to put all this together, mostly by collaborating on IRC. I suspect we exchanged three lines on IRC for every line that ended up in the story. 

**Digimon Stories**  
A lot of the Digimon stories on _fanfiction.net_ are but variations on the same themes, or involve only the Digidestined. Their Digimon, if they even show up, very often are given only minor roles. We set out to write a real Digimon story, specific to the Digidestined and their Digimon, true to the spirit of the series as it is seen in North America. We did, however, take one big liberty in adding an extra digidestined and his digimon, Cyan and Cantomon. 

**Standard Disclaimers**  
Events portrayed in this story are fictional, and bear no resemblance to persons living or dead. Not responsible for lost or broken links. Browser widths are based on reading experiences on Intel machines; your mileage may vary. 

**Trademarks**  
Digimon and the characters contained therein are copyright © by Toei Animation. Tilley is a registered trademark of [ Tilley Endurables ][3] _(link will open in a new browser window)._ Velcro® is a registered trademark of [ Velcro Industries BV][4]. 

**Copyright**  
This story is copyright © 2000 by Cyan and Bradmon. You may download a copy of this story to your computer for your reading enjoyment, and transmit electronic copies to others, but may not print a copy on paper or other non-electronic materials. 

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_**Chronicler's Note:** Cyan related this remarkable tale to me in a series of conversations and email notes. When I told him I wanted to write a story based on this, he gave me every encouragement and a lot of his time. The direct quotes here, aside from being translated from Japanese, are as close to the originals as he and the others can remember them. _

I'd also like to thank the Takaishis (Takeru and Hikari) and Inoue Miyako for their assistance in putting this together. They opened up their hearts and their email archives for me, and Takeru even managed to locate Patamon, who gave me much of the material in chapter 6. Even Daisuke was helpful, although he was reluctant to talk about that part of his life. 

For the benefit of the readers in North America, we mutually decided to use the North American names of the Digidestined and their digimon. 

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**_ Chapter 1   
Trouble in Digiworld _**  


    _ This morning, like always, I rub my sleepy eyes   
And energetically say "laugh!"   
My head feels like it's still in a dream   
As I brush my teeth   
  
I wish on a star   
That I could use magic   
_
     "Be All Right" (Takeru's theme) 

Near the end of a quiet day the Digidestined gathered together in a grassy field. Today, like yesterday and the day before, an eerie calm had descended over the Digital World. Yet it was not peaceful. The stillness hung heavily in the air, as though the whole world was being stifled into silence. Even the wind had ceased to blow and the birds had stopped their singing. 

Here in the grassy field they tried to rest: Yolei on her back beside Hawkmon, staring uneasily into the clear sky. A little further off, Cyan and Cantomon slumbered beneath a large tree. Kari sat with Gatomon by a small splash of flowers near the clearing's edge. Close by with Veemon stood Davis, talking to her and TK. Patamon rested on TK's hat, trying to get some rest. Only Cody seemed unaffected by the unearthly calm as he played and laughed with Armadillomon. 

TK and Davis were arguing yet again. All day, ever since their arrival in the Digital World, the two boys had been trading barbs with each other. It was not unusual for them to pass sardonic quips back and forth, but today there was an edge to them that made Patamon nervous. He shuffled about nervously on the hat. TK put up a hand to pat him. 

"And what's going on with the Digimon Kaizer?" Davis was saying. "Why hasn't he done anything?" 

"Ken seems to have vanished completely," said Kari. "Could he have left the Digital World?" 

Gatomon spoke beside her. "I don't think so. Not after how he left his real home." 

"He's probably just laying low," said Davis. "Maybe he's crying over how he couldn't control Agumon." 

"Haven't you noticed how quiet everything is?" asked Kari. "And how tired all the digimon seem to be? I think there's something wrong here, and we need to find out what it is." 

TK agreed with her. "We should worry about what's wrong with the digimon first, and wait to see if Ken does anything, before we act." 

"Are you kidding?" asked Davis earnestly. "We can attack Ken now, when he's not ready!" 

"How do you know he's not ready for us?" asked TK. "This could all be a trap." 

Their arguing had caught Cyan's attention. He and Cantomon wandered over to join in. Davis felt outnumbered: Cyan never agreed with him, siding with TK in any dispute. It didn't help that Cyan was bigger than the rest of them. Here in the Digital World he was an adolescent, about three years older and heavier than Davis and TK, and wore armour, too: a breastplace bearing the image of the crest of Honour. Strangely, whenever they returned to the real world he became the same age as the other two, and his stature diminished to match. His armour also disappeared. 

His sleek feline digimon, Cantomon, looked like a well-fed cougar but was smaller, about the size of a German Shepherd dog. His snow white coat sported rings of dark blue similar to Garurumon's. A collar of dark fur encircled his neck just past the ears. Like his Digidestined, Cantomon shrunk in size when entering the real world. There he was just a bit larger than the other cat-like digimon in the group, Gatomon. 

The big kid spoke. "Even if it's not a special trap, he's sure to have a ton of his slaves nearby anyway." 

Davis persisted. "How can we know it's a trap if we never check?" he demanded. 

Kari sighed. As much as she liked Davis and TK, they always seemed to gravitate to her when they had a disagreement, and she felt compelled to mediate. "Why is it so important to go after Ken now?" she asked. 

"Hopefully he's as dopey as Patamon there," said Davis, pointing to the digimon dozing on TK's hat. At the mention of his name Patamon woke up again and looked around. 

"Davis, this is serious!" said TK, perhaps more forcefully than he had intended to. "Stop being silly! I don't want to go charging into the Kaizer's lair without a bit of preparation." 

"_Preparation?_ Hey, if everything in Digiworld is as quiet as this, it'll be a pushover getting into Ken's palace. We could run in there tonight and kick him out before suppertime!" 

TK was becoming uncharacteristically heated. "Look, it's that sort of stupid idea that's gotten us into trouble in the past!" he snapped. 

"Matt had the same arguments with Tai, and he usually ended up being right," added Cyan. 

Kari tried to intervene. "Come on, boys, settle down. At the rate you two are going, you'll end up fighting each other instead of Ken." 

Her comment was lost on Davis. "But Tai got things done!" he retorted. "That's why he was the leader. And when he saw how I did things, he made me the leader. That's why I'm saying we should go after Ken now." 

"Leader?" shouted TK. Patamon took to the air: TK was moving too much for him to keep a steady footing. "Leader? Tai gives you those goggles and you think you're the leader now? I've been around a lot longer in the Digital World than you, and I know a lot more about what goes on here than you do!" 

By now Yolei and Cody had given up trying to ignore the quarreling pair. They came over, Hawkmon and Armadillomon in tow. They clustered around TK, leaving Davis alone by himself. 

"You don't want to follow me--fine!" he cried. "I'll just go after him myself!" And to everyone's astonishment, he turned around and marched away from the clearing, Veemon close behind. 

"Davis, don't act like an idiot!" Cyan called out after him. "Come back here!" 

"Let him go," said TK, fuming. 

Kari jumped up. "Don't talk like that," she admonished. "He may be a bit hot-headed, but he's also our friend. Give him a few minutes. He'll cool down and come back." 

They waited. Unable to stay angry for long, TK settled down. Patamon returned to his resting place on TK's hat. Cody went back to playing with Armadillomon. The sun slipped lower in the evening sky, but Davis did not appear. Just before it touched the horizon, Cody called everyone together. 

"What are we going to do?" he asked the others. "We can't leave Davis here all night. But we should go home before our parents start to worry." 

"Why not leave him here?" asked Cyan. "We're better off without him." 

"No, we're not," said Kari. "We've been called together for a purpose. If Davis isn't here, the team isn't complete." 

"Then we should look for him," said Yolei. 

"That should be easy," said TK. "We should be able to find him with our digivices." He picked his up and stared at it a moment, then shook it up and down. "Hey, what's with this?" 

In seconds the other kids were looking at theirs. While each seemed to be working normally, Davis was not showing up on any of them. The others registered but faintly. 

"There's some kind of interference in the air," said Yolei. "I haven't seen anything like it before." 

"And there's no time to find out what's causing it," said TK. "The sun's almost set. We should go." 

Reluctantly, the group headed down a trail leading south from the clearing. In minutes their digivices homed in on a signal from a TV set, and they followed the trail until it came into view. It sat on a boulder, its screen impossibly glowing in the absence of any source of power. As the last red rays of the setting sun disappeared beneath the horizon, the kids and their digimon gathered in front of it. But Cyan stood off to one side. 

"I was thinking I'd stay behind for a little bit, in case Davis shows up," he told the others. 

"Why?" asked Cody, confused. "You don't even _like_ him!" 

Cyan shrugged. "I'm supposed to watch out for you guys. That includes Davis, no matter what I think of him myself. I could at least let him know we're not really mad at him." 

"We were never really mad at him," said Kari. "Not even TK, for all the shouting he did." 

"Besides," said TK, "We're not sure where Davis is right now. You could stay here all night for nothing." 

"I wasn't planning on staying all night. Just about an hour or so, in case Davis shows up." 

"I think you should come back with us," said TK. "You know Mom's expecting us both to be there for supper." 

"Digiport open!" called Yolei, and she and the others jumped through, landing on their feet in the school computer lab. Cyan followed them. 

Kari looked around the otherwise deserted room. "Look!" she said. "Here's the Wada Kouji CD I was going to loan Davis. It's still here. That means he hasn't come back yet." 

"Or he came back, but was too mad to pick it up," said Cyan. 

Kari laughed. "Not this one! I told him I'd accidentally left it here before we went into the Digital World, and he told me he would be sure to pick it up when he came back because he wanted to listen to it so much." 

Yolei was busy tapping keys on the computer, scanning Digiworld. "I can't locate Davis from here, either," she reported. 

"He can get himself back, I'm sure," said Cyan. "I've been there on my own a lot longer than just a few hours, before." 

"I guess you're right," said Cody. "I just hope he makes it back this evening, or we'll have some explaining to do when his parents start calling around." 

TK was not concerned. "He'll come back when he gets hungry. Our digivices found a port, and I'm sure his can, too." 

"Speaking of hungry, I should be getting home for supper," said Yolei. With that, they left the computer lab and headed to their own homes.   
  


* * *

  


Back in Digiworld, Davis and Veemon carefully walked along a different trail. They had been moving since Davis had parted company with the others. With the sun now set, it was getting darker. Led by a faint, uncertain signal on Davis' digivice, they located another TV set standing alone on a stone pedestal. Davis approached it. As his digivice came into range, the set sprang to life. They prepared to make the jump. 

"Davis," asked Veemon suddenly, "why didn't we go back with the others?" 

"I just want to stay away from TQ," Davis responded. 

The Digiport powered up, and in moments he and Veemon were back in the computer lab. Davis looked for the Wada Kouji CD, but it was not there, so he assumed Kari had taken it with her.   
  


* * *

  


Dinner over, TK and Cyan retreated to TK's room. An hour or so they spent at the computer, reading and sending email, surfing the net. Finally TK spoke aloud what both had been thinking. 

"I wonder if Davis came back. Even though it is Davis, I can't help but worry." 

"I wouldn't worry about it," said Cyan. "Remember, the Kaizer hasn't attacked at night before, has he?" 

TK was not so easily reassured. "Maybe that's why he's been laying low, waiting for a chance to get one of us alone." 

"True. With Ken, anything is possible." 

"If something happens to him," said TK, "it will be our fault. If we hadn't started arguing with him like that, he wouldn't have left." 

Cyan nodded. "You do have a point." But now he shook his head, "Would you prefer having him lead us on some suicide mission?" 

"Of course not. But I don't want Davis getting hurt because of us, either." 

"Even I don't want that," said Cyan gravely. "I've lost too many friends there...."    
  


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_If you want to learn more about Cyan, please [ follow this link][5]. _

If you made it this far, either you've read through the whole thing, or you just skipped to the end :)   
Either way, please write a review. We put a **lot** of work into this story!   
**Thank you from both Cyan and Bradmon.**   
  


   [1]: mailto:cyan683@hotmail.com
   [2]: mailto:bradlegar@hotmail.com
   [3]: http://www.tilley.com
   [4]: http://www.velcro.com
   [5]: http://www.fanfiction.net/index.fic/?action=story-read&storyid=192486



	2. Davis vs. TK

** The Cyan Chronicles III **

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Rift 

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**_ Chapter 2   
Davis vs. TK _**  


"Hey, Davis! Wait!" 

TK was calling across the schoolyard. Davis scowled. All day he had been doing his best to avoid TK and Cyan at school: arriving late at class, leaving as soon as possible, looking around corners when walking the hallways. Now TK had spotted him, and Davis saw him running across the schoolyard toward him. Determined to lose him, Davis quickly walked around the other side of the school, heading for an entrance. He stopped short when he saw Cyan standing in the way. 

"Going somewhere?" asked Cyan. And before Davis could find an alternate escape route, TK had joined them. 

"Hey, Davis," said TK, arriving and coming to a stop. "I ... well ... I wanted to talk about yesterday." 

Caught between TK and Cyan, Davis's anxiety rose. "What's there to say?" he asked, curtly. "I wanna go after Ken. You don't." 

"There's more to it than that. We both know it." 

Davis frowned. It was bad enough that TK seemed to question everything he wanted to do. But now it appeared he wanted to talk about leadership, too. 

TK saw the frown and wondered what to say next. "C'mon," he said at length. "There's no need for us to fight like this." 

"There isn't? Then why do you never agree with me on anything?" 

"Because I've been in the Digital World longer than you. You're new to all this. I know more than you do--about what's dangerous there, and what isn't." 

Davis's reply was interrupted by a sudden appearance by Kari. She had seen the three boys talking together and felt it was good news. Walking up with a wide smile on her face, she said, "Hey boys! You're patching things up, I see." 

"Trying to," said Cyan. "Davis is being a bit obstinate." 

"A bit what?" asked Davis. 

Kari giggled. "Obstinate. You know, like bull-headed, ignorant, thick." 

"You're calling me bull-headed?" cried Davis. 

"It is hard to make you see reason sometimes," TK said. 

It was the same old refrain from TK. Davis could not stand it. "Reason! Preparation! Planning!" he cried. "It's amazing you ever get anything done! All you ever do is sit around all day in that stupid thinking-cap of yours!" 

"Hey!" said TK, suddenly defensive. "I'll wear what I want. It's a good hat, and it suits me." 

"For sure it does!" By now Davis was really quite angry. "It looks like a hat only a fool would wear! The only thing it's good for is a bed for your useless little Potatomon!" 

TK saw red. Ribbing he could handle: he dished out no small amount of it himself. Wisecracks from Davis likewise. But he would not let an insult to Patamon go unchallenged. "You take that back!" he shouted. "Patamon and Angemon have helped both of us out of some really dangerous situations!" 

Kari looked from one boy to the other, desperately wondering what to say, or if she should even say anything at all. She was shocked to see TK acting like this: she didn't think he even had a temper. Cyan took up a defensive posture beside TK. 

"No way," said Davis. "Not until you stop questioning my leadership!" 

"Your leadership?" cried TK, now angry himself. "What leadership? You just take us from one disaster to another! If it wasn't for me the whole Digiworld would have fallen apart by now!" 

"Oh, you're that good, are you? Well, if you want to be the leader, why don't you and me just fight for it?" He raised his fists in front of him and glared at TK. 

Kari gasped. This was way beyond what Davis had ever done before. "Davis, please ..." she pleaded. "Don't do this." 

"Shut up!" snapped Davis. "This is between me and TJ! C'mon, TJ, let's see who's cut out to be the leader!" 

"TK!" said Cyan urgently. "Don't get into a fight! Remember what happened when Tai and your brother fought over the leadership?" 

TK would have backed off, but for Davis's lashing out at Kari and the obvious insult. "It's _TK!"_ he shouted, and before Cyan could stop him, he lunged at Davis, grappling and pushing him to the ground. 

Neither boy never really knew what happened next. One moment they were tussling on the ground; the next, one of Davis's hands met TK in the face. TK felt a sharp stinging pain and let out a loud yelp. As suddenly as he had pushed Davis to the ground, he rolled away, curling himself up into a ball. Kari rushed over to where he lay, gasping for air. 

Ashen faced, Davis got to his feet. "Are you all right?" he asked. 

TK slowly raised his head. There were tears in his eyes and he held one hand to his nose. Blood trickled out from under the hand and down his chin. Seeing it, Kari lost her cool. She raised her head and glared at Davis. 

"Look what you've done!" she cried. "Go away! Just go away! You've done more than enough for one day!" 

Anger flaring in his eyes, Cyan advanced on Davis. In Davis's eyes he seemed suddenly to grow older and larger, as he was while in the Digital World. Davis turned and ran. 

"Come on, TK," said Kari. "Let's go and get you cleaned up."    
  


* * *

_If you made it this far, either you've read through the whole thing, or you just skipped to the end :)   
Either way, please write a review. We put a **lot** of work into this story!   
**Thank you from both Cyan and Bradmon.**_   
  



	3. Two Teams Apart

** The Cyan Chronicles III **

* * *

Rift 

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**_ Chapter 3   
Two Teams Apart _**  


Later that afternoon, near the end of a class, Cody's D-terminal discreetly chirped to tell him mail had arrived. As soon as the class was dismissed he checked it: it was unusual for him to receive email before school was out for the day. 

     _I've got to go home right after school so i can get V-mon, i accidently left him in my closet, sorry guys. So we'll be meeting late to go to the digital world.  
I've already talked to TG, Kari, and Cyan, and they'll be meeting us in the lab about 5.  
Davis_

Cody read the note twice to make sure he understood what Davis was saying. Then he started thinking. The late meeting would require some inventive explanations on his part, mostly because he felt he could not stay at school that long with nothing to do. So he would have to go home, then come up with a reason for heading back to school just before supper.   
  


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"Sorry I'm late, guys!" said TK breathlessly as he and Patamon rushed into the computer lab. "I wanted to ask Mr. Hamasaki about an assignment he gave and -" He stopped when he realized only Kari and Cyan were there. "Hey, where are the others?" 

"Don't know," said Cyan. "I can understand Davis not showing up, but why would Yolei and Cody not come?" 

"Maybe they had to do something," Kari said. 

Cyan called up the Digiport on the computer and fiddled with it. 

"Demi-Veemon hasn't been around today, either," said Patamon. 

"Neither have Upamon and Poromon," Gatomon added. 

"Right," said Cantomon. "They usually show up in the morning when Davis, Yolei, and Cody get here, but not today." 

Cyan looked away from the computer to the others. "If they already went in, I sure can't find them," he said. "Then again, I'm not Yolei; this thing is her department." 

TK debated what to do. In a way not having Davis here was a relief. The fight earlier that afternoon had caused him to wonder if he should even make another attempt at healing the rift between them. His absence meant he could delay having to try. And yet there was the nagging feeling that Davis and Yolei and Cody were part of the team and they should be together. He weighed the options back and forth, his animosity versus the needs of them all. The all won out. 

"Let's wait and see if they show up," he said. 

So they waited. Kari pulled a textbook and a notebook out of her pack and did some homework, while TK and Cyan chatted about other things. Half an hour dragged by. Still there was no sign of the others. 

"Maybe they went through the Digiport already," said TK. 

Kari pondered this a moment, thinking he might be right. "No harm in going in to look for them," she said. 

"Even if they're not there," said TK, "we can try to find out what's happening with all the digimon." 

"And I'm bored out of my mind anyway," Cyan added. "Digiport open!" 

All six of them, three kids and three digimon, made the jump into the Digital World.   
  


* * *

  


Half an hour later the scene played itself again, this time with different kids and digimon. Davis and Demi-Veemon arrived at the computer lab a little before 5:00, and Yolei came in with Poromon shortly after. 

"Hey, Davis, where are TK, Kari, and Cyan?" 

"I'm not sure," Davis replied. "Are you expecting Cody to come?" 

"I haven't seen him all day," said Yolei. "Do you know if he got your email?" 

"I think so. I sent it to his D-terminal." 

"And what's this I heard about a fight between you and TK?" 

Suddenly Davis seemed defensive. "Who said anything about a fight?" 

"A friend of mine said she saw you and TK in a fight at noon." 

Davis brushed it off. "It was nothing. We were just wrestling, that's all. 

Just then Cody and Upamon arrived. "Hi!" And after a pause he asked, "Where are the others? I expected to see them, what with it being late and all." 

"Oh," said Davis, "I forgot to tell you. They said that they might not have time to join us. Kari said something about TK and Cyan having to work on a web page for school. They told me that we should just go ahead without them." 

Cody was perplexed. "I got your email, Davis," he said, "but didn't get anything from TK or Kari. I would have expected one of them to let us know." 

"It was pretty late when Kari told me. She said I should just let you two know. That way she wouldn't have to send email. Yolei, can you get the Digiport open?" 

"Sure." She powered up the computer, waited for it start, then started the program. "Digiworld, here we come! Digiport open!" 

Moments later, Davis, Veemon, and the others were in Digiworld.    
  


* * *

_If you made it this far, either you've read through the whole thing, or you just skipped to the end :)   
Either way, please write a review. We put a **lot** of work into this story!   
**Thank you from both Cyan and Bradmon.**_   
  



	4. The Temple of Despair

** The Cyan Chronicles III **

* * *

Rift 

* * *

**_ Chapter 4   
The Temple of Despair _**  


    _ Sometimes I cry   
Because it's so vexing   
We're not alone in our world   
But I have my aspirations   
If we stay barefoot, I'm sure we'll be all right   
_
"Be All Right" (Takeru's theme) 

TK examined his digivice. "Just the same as yesterday. I can't pick up any other signals on this." 

"Same here," said Kari. "I can't get get anything, either." 

"I guess the interference is still in the air," Cyan concluded. 

Gatomon spoke from down near Kari's feet. "If we can't find them, we can at least try to find out what's going on here." 

"Right!" said Patamon, enthusiastically. TK agreed with him. "Good idea." 

"So let's go," said Kari. 

"It's something to do, at least," Cyan replied, but his voice was low and he sounded tired. 

They started walking, following TK, who merely picked a direction and headed out. His eye had caught a line of trees some distance off, and for this he headed. But the walk was difficult. The weather was fine and the ground soft and even, but soon the whole company began feeling lethargic. Their steps became slower and less certain, and within a few minutes TK was wondering if he had chosen correctly. 

"Can we stop and rest?" asked Gatomon. 

"So soon?" asked Kari. "But I think you're right. I feel like I've been walking for hours." 

TK wanted to press on. "There's something in that forest we have to see," he said urgently. 

"Why?" asked Cyan. 

"I don't know. It's just that I feel we have to go there. No matter how tired we feel." 

"If you say so," Cyan said laconically. 

So they slogged on, struggling against the incessant weariness. Ever so slowly the line of trees came closer. But the nearer they got to them, the more they felt the walk was hopeless, that they would accomplish nothing. Everyone fell silent, and lost in their thoughts they trudged along, saying nothing. 

The stillness was suddenly broken by a cry from Kari. "TK, stop! I can't go any further!" 

Turning around, TK saw Kari had sat down on the grass. Gatomon was clinging to one of her arms. He walked over and squatted down beside her. "What's wrong?" he asked softly. 

"It's hopeless!" Kari was even weeping. "There's just no use in going on!" 

"No use?" asked TK. "But look around. There's nothing to be afraid of." 

"I can't explain it. It's so quiet, and we haven't even seen a dangerous digimon all day. But it's just that, well, I don't see any use in all of this." 

TK sought out one of Kari's hands and clasped it. Surprised at the touch, Kari looked up from the ground and into TK's face. His compassionate blue eyes met her brown. "Cheer up, Kari. I'm here, and so is Cyan, and Gatomon, Patamon, and Cantomon, too. We'll protect you. But we have to stick together. C'mon, you can do this." Standing up, he gently pulled on Kari's hand, and she stood up also. He let go as soon as she was standing, then called over to his other friend. "Cyan, how are you feeling?" 

"Tired, like I had not slept all night," came the reply. But he drew his sword and held it high. Its polished blade flashed in the sunlight. "Yet I am not afraid. Fair maiden, I shall protect thee!" 

Perhaps it was TK's hand, perhaps it was the sword, or perhaps it was Cyan's bravado, but Kari's helplessness diminished. She even smiled. "With two brave boys to look after me, what do I have to be afraid of?" she asked. 

"Then let's go into the forest!" said TK. Their spirits raised, they found a trail and followed it in. 

The forest was unexpectedly dark. Trees here grew high and thick, and the canopy overhead reduced the light below. Scarcely a hundred steps down the path, both the kids and the digimon felt the oppressive despondency return. Patamon stopped flying and clung nervously to TK's hat. Behind them, Gatomon wound her tail around Kari's wrist and would not let go. Following them came Cantomon and Cyan, his sword held in front, determination on his face. 

Ten minutes they plodded along like this, until the forest suddenly ended again in an immense clearing. Ahead of them loomed a massive dark stone wall, interrupted at regular intervals by squat, round towers capped with conical stone roofs. A thousand feet ran that wall from their left to their right, and beyond it rose a huge stone tower, in height well above the tree tops, dominating everything in the area. In the centre of the wall's width, directly ahead of them, was set an imposing entrance. 

And at the sight of the wall and tower everyone stopped dead in their tracks. TK and Kari would have turned and retreated, but Cyan was blocking their way, sword still drawn. Forced to stay and confront their helpessness, all three kids closed their eyes and concentrated intensely. A minute later the depair subsided. 

"Wow!" said TK quietly. "This place sure is big!" 

"And odd, too," said Cyan. "I don't recognize it." 

Neither did Gatomon. "I don't know this temple either." 

"You've never seen it before?" Kari asked in wonder. 

"No," Cyan replied. "That's what makes it so strange, I thought I'd seen most of the Digital World already. Well, all the landmarks like this, at least." 

"We should explore it," said TK. 

"Maybe we can find some clue as to what's affecting the Digimon," Kari suggested. 

Cantomon was not so easily convinced. "I don't like this ... I have a strange feeling about it." And Cyan agreed with him. 

But TK's thoughts were with Kari's. "You're right, Kari, the answer's here. I can feel it. Whatever's wrong with the Digital World, it's here. We'll just have to be careful." 

Summoning up hope from deep within, TK slowly started across the wide field to the entrance. With great reluctance Kari, Cyan, Gatomon, and Cantomon followed too. 

It took all their strength of will to cross that expanse from the forest to the wall. Nothing attacked them, but the hopelessness that gripped each member of the group wore them down just the same. Finally they reached the gate. Here there were able to appreciate the immense size of the place: the great stone wall loomed above them to a height of thirty feet, and the gate house was taller still. Great wooden doors were hung there, but they had been neglected for some time. Damage from an attack had not been repaired, leaving a crack wide enough for the kids to squeeze through. 

"What's that?" asked Cyan, pointing to a pair of large flat stones set into the wall on either side of the gate. The same text had been carved into each: 

    _ Six little bees   
Fly away! Fly away!   
Look for six wildflowers   
To brighten your day! _

Patamon was both surprised and perplexed. "It's a nursery rhyme! I remember it from my earliest days. But why carve a nursery rhyme into the walls of a place like this?" 

"This is the Digital World," said Cyan. "Nothing here makes much sense." 

"Let's go inside," said TK. "I'm still tired, but I want to see what's here." He carefully slipped through the broken door, followed by the others. 

For just a moment despair was replaced with wonder. About two hundred feet ahead of them stretched another fortified wall, just as dark as the outer one, surrounding an inner enclosure. The great stone tower they had seen from the outside was within that wall, but from where they stood they could not see an entrance. A black flagstone path ran forward from the gate, wide enough for four people to walk abreast; a raised stone curb separated the path from the surrounding grass and wildflowers. Stone pedestals, squat and grey, had been placed at irregular intervals along the path, hard against the curbs on both sides. At one time they had been adorned with various digimon carved in stone, but now most were bare, their statues laying broken about their bases. 

Scattered in the field betwen the first and second walls was an amazing collection of shrines, fine statues, empty fountains, sundials, solitary archways and column circles, slender stone needles, and overgrown groves and flowerbeds; as though a hundred park planners had been let loose at once, each with a different idea what to put there. Yet despite the apparent disorder, the whole was not displeasing to the eye. Harmony appeared to be the watchword here, for together the discordant pieces made a symphony in stone and not a resounding clash. 

Then the weariniess that had plagued them all day returned in force. "I'm so tired," whispered Gatomon. She yawned deeply. 

Beside him, TK heard Cyan say, "I'm almost asleep on my feet, too." 

"What's happening?" asked TK. 

Kari was blinking her eyes, struggling to stay awake. "It's like what's been happening to all the digimon we've seen." 

"Just try to stay awake a little while longer," TK urged them all. "We can explore this place a bit, then go home and sleep." 

He started down the path. The others followed, fighting the call of the grass to lay down and rest. About halfway to the inner wall, the path stopped in a T-intersection, continuing left and right parallel with the walls. Here TK paused a long time, labouring to make the simple choice of going one direction or the other. Finally he turned left. He seemed unsteady on his feet. 

"Hey!" called Cantomon suddenly. "Look over there! It looks like a couple of sleeping digimon!" Raising a paw, he pointed to a pair of shapes curled up under the bowl of a dry fountain between the path and the wall of tbe inner enclosure. Relieved for a distraction, they all left the path and walked to where the two digimon lay. 

"It's Elecmon!" cried Gatomon. 

"And Tsunomon!" said Patamon. 

"Looks like we're not the only curious ones," Cyan observed. 

To their immense relief, the digimon were still alive: they were warm to the touch, and when the kids placed a finger close to the digimon's nostrils they could feel air moving as they breathed in and out. But try as they might, the digimon could not be awakened. 

"What's wrong with them?" asked Kari. 

Gatomon seemed to understand. "I think it's what we're feeling, too. Except they actually went to sleep, and now they can't wake up again." 

Through all this Cyan stood guard. Well for them he did, for he spotted a tall, firece, tawny coloured digimon as it came slowly around the far corner of the inner wall. It first looked curiously at the group, then started toward them. Cyan called an alarm. 

"Something's coming! Looks kind of like a Tyrranomon!" 

"Wrong colour," said Cantomon. "It's a Goldtyrramon!" 

TK looked up, then called to Patamon, still on the ground tending to the sleeping digimon. "You'd better armour digivolve!" 

"You, too, Gatomon!" said Kari. Together she and TK called out, _"Digiarmour energize!"_

Nothing. 

"What happened?" asked TK. He spoke urgently--the Goldtyrramon was still heading for them. 

"We can't armour digivolve!" Patamon cried. 

"It's just like the control spires!" added Gatomon. 

"But there aren't any control spires here!" cried TK. "Try digivolving normally!" 

But again nothing happened. "We're just too tired," Gatomon wailed. 

"Let me try," said Cyan. "Cantomon and I are a bit stronger, and we may be able to." 

And able to they were. Cantomon now stood up and was taller and leaner, a knight in shining armour. Even Cyan's clothing changed: shoulder guards appeared on his breatplate, and his shirt sleeves and pant legs gained greaves. Knightmon drew his sword, and together the pair walked over to do battle with the Goldtyrramon. 

But the energy required to digivolve had exhausted their reserves. Too late they realized they no longer had strength enough to engage. Standing there in front of the beast they put on a brave show, but were able to do little beyond holding their swords aloft. The Goldtyrramon lunged toward Cyan, blue eyes blazing in its yellow head. It picked up Cyan bodily and threw him against the inner wall. A loud _crunch_ echoed through the quiet complex, and bits of stone and rubble ran down the wall to the ground where Cyan lay. The Goldtyrramon collapsed, completely spent. Knightmon reverted to Cantomon, and Cyan's armour disappeared. 

"Cyan!" cried Kari. 

"Are you OK?" asked TK. 

Cyan's voice came feebly across the grass from the wall. "We're just too weak to fight it ..." 

"Let's get out of here!" said TK. "We don't know how many of those things may be lurking around! Cyan, can you walk?" 

Cyan struggled to his feet and took a couple of steps. "I think so," he said. 

"All right! I'll get Elecmon--Kari, you grab Tsunomon!" 

They did so, and once Cyan and Cantomon had joined them they struggled their way back to the broken door and squeezed through. Here Kari handed the unconscious Tsunomon over to Cyan. Unable to bear being in the shadow of those grey walls, they labouriously crossed the hundred yards of open ground to the forest's edge. Utterly exhausted, they collapsed to the ground. 

TK lay on his stomach and buried his face in his arms. His voice came muffled from the grass. "What are we going to do? How can we fight all the evil in this place?" It was hard to tell, but to Kari it seemed he was crying. 

The others stared at him, stunned. While not as brash as Davis, TK never failed for bravery, and his optimism would hold longer than any other's. So to see him here now, on the verge of giving up, distressed them more than they had ever been before. The despair finally consumed them all. 

"It's hopeless!" said Cyan glumly, holding his head in his hands. "If Knightmon and I can't take on a Champion level digimon ...." He stopped, lost for words. Gatomon mewed piteously, and she and Kari held each other close. 

Then everything fell silent. Lost in their discouragement. the kids spoke no more, and their digimon sat motionless beside them. Shadows grew long in the glade, but no one made a move to get up and walk. Despondent, their strength and will gone, each sat or lay as they had been since their retreat from the temple. Not a breeze blew to relieve the stagnant air, and no birds sang, nor did the crickets chirp. The stillness closed in around them like a slowly closing trap. 

Nearly an hour after being carried from the temple, Elecmon and Tsunomon awakened. They spent a minute figuring out where they were before trying to rouse the quiet digimon beside them. Elecmon managed to get Gatomon awake. Then Gatomon woke Kari, and Kari roused the others: all had fallen asleep unawares. By now there were no shadows, for the sun was near set. 

"What happened?" asked Elecmon. 

"We found you in there," said Kari. "You were asleep and we couldn't wake you up. Then a Goldtyrramon attacked us, and we picked both of you up and ran out here. We were so tired we fell asleep ourselves." 

"I remember going in there," Tsunomon said. "But I don't know why. Then we just got so tired that we had to lay down and sleep." 

"Lucky you guys came along when you did," Elecmon added, "or we'd have been that Goldtyrramon's dinner by now." 

"Let's start walking," said Kari. "I want to get as far away from here as I can!" 

No one disagreed with her. Slowly they got up, stretched, and started down the trail away from the compound. 

"Do either of you two know what that place is?" asked Cyan as they walked. "I've been in the Digitial World a lot, but never saw it before today." 

"I haven't either," replied Tsunomon. "But whatever it is, it's dangerous. We should get rid of it!" 

"Maybe getting rid of it isn't the answer," said Patamon. "Most places like this were once good and just became bad over time, or when the Digimon Kaizer got his hands on it." 

Elecmon made an important connection. "All that's needed to make it right again is for the Digidestined to go in there and clean it up." 

"But we can't!" All the digimon were surprised: it was TK who had spoken. "We can't even go inside without falling over." 

"Maybe if there were more of you," Elecmon suggested. "I see only three of you here. Aren't there more?" 

"There are," said Cantomon, "but they're not friends right now." 

"Oh," said Tsunomon. "But you can get back together, can't you?" 

TK was not at all hopeful. "I don't think so," he said. "Not after everything that's gone wrong the last couple of days." The despairing tones in his voice stopped further conversation. 

At length, still tired and downcast, they reached the end of the forest. Kari's digivice picked up the weak signal of a TV set nearby. They parted company with Tsunomon and Elecmon, then walked until they found the TV. In silence they waited for the Digiport to open and return them to the computer lab, and once there quietly walked out of the room. 

"Are you two boys going to be here tomorrow?" asked Kari just before they took separate paths home. 

"I don't know," replied TK. "Right now, I just don't know."    
  


* * *

_If you made it this far, either you've read through the whole thing, or you just skipped to the end :)   
Either way, please write a review. We put a **lot** of work into this story!   
**Thank you from both Cyan and Bradmon.**_   
  



	5. Comparing Notes

** The Cyan Chronicles III **

* * *

Rift 

* * *

**_ Chapter 5   
Comparing Notes _**  


     _ At the top of the ferris wheel  
We're near the sky  
That same sky is watching over  
Many people  
  
Will today continue tomorrow?  
If we wish for it, surely it will  
_
"Be All Right" (Takeru's theme) 

Cyan arrived at the computer lab a few minutes earlier than normal the next afternoon. While Cantomon curled up under a table, Cyan powered up one of the computers. He was concentrating on a game when Cody walked in. 

"Cyan, there you are!" 

The older boy looked up from his game. "Hey there! We missed you yesterday." 

"You missed _us?"_ asked Cody, surprised. "You're the ones who didn't show up yesterday." 

"We were here at the usual time." 

"I got an email saying we all were meeting later." 

"Oh," said Cyan slowly. "I smell a rat ..." 

Cody nodded. "That rat would be Davis. He sent Yolei and me emails saying that we were meeting late, then told us you three couldn't make it." 

"I bet this has something to do with the fight he had with TK yesterday." 

Cody's eyes widened. "Davis and TK got into a fight?" 

"I don't know if it was intentional," said Cyan pragmatically. "TK and I had been trying to track Davis down to talk to him, but he'd been avoiding us all day. When we did catch him, things didn't go too well. Davis got TK mad by insulting Patamon, and TK rushed him. They were grappling for awhile, then Davis managed to get TK in the face and make him bleed. Kari and I sort of lost it then, too. She yelled at him to go away, and I moved towards him looking a bit threatening ..." 

"That explains why he would want to avoid you. He sent me another email today saying we were going to meet late again. Do you know anything about it?" 

"Not that I've heard. Besides, TK won't be here today at all." 

"No? Why not?" 

"He got grounded." Seeing Cody's surprised expression, he explained. "Well, he got home really late two nights in a row and didn't have a good explanation for it. His mom wasn't very happy and said he had better be home right after school today. Then she told me I should stay somewhere else for a while." 

Now Cody looked puzzled. "What do you mean, stay somewhere else for a while?" 

"I might as well just tell you ... my home city back in Canada was destroyed by Apocalymon. After we defeated him, I didn't return home when the others did because I didn't have anywhere to go. I spent about three years in the Digital World, somehow moving between the worlds occasionally, but spending most of my time there." 

"Oh!" Cody exclaimed. He had unexpectedly found an answer to something he had wondered about for some time. "Is that why you seem to grow older whenever we go into the Digital World?" 

"Partly. You see, I was that age when I first went there. And I didn't grow older in the three years I was staying there. Then, when you guys came along and I returned to the real world with you, I discovered I was suddenly _four_ years _younger_ than when I went in!" 

"Wow!" exclaimed Cody. "How did that happen?" 

"I don't know. But nothing about that place surprises me anymore." He grinned, and said teasingly, "Who knows, maybe someone restored me from a old backup!" 

Cody laughed at Cyan's little joke, then asked, "So, if you don't have a home here in the real world any more, where do you live?" 

"I usually hang out with TK and Kari or one of the older Digidestined." 

"Oh, that's why I always see you with them or Matt or Izzy. So where are you staying now?" 

"I called up TK's brother Matt and asked if he would mind having me for a bit. He said it wouldn't be a problem." 

"That's good. You know, I wouldn't mind having a big brother once in a while. If you're ever stuck for a place to stay, I'm sure I can work something out between my mom and my grandfather." 

Cyan was touched by the boy's thoughtfulness. "Thanks, Cody. I'll remember that." After a pause, he asked, "What did you do in the Digital World yesterday?" 

"Nothing much. When we got there we started walking to where we thought Ken would be holed up, but after a few minutes we got so tired we just didn't feel like doing anything. So we just sorta lazed around until I found us a TV set and we came back. What about you?" 

"We found a place I had never seen before," said Cyan. "It looks like a big castle or temple of some sort in the middle of a forest. When we went inside, we all became very tired. Then we were attacked by a something called a Goldtyrramon and our digimon couldn't armour digvolve." 

"They couldn't?" asked Cody in amazement. "I thought not even Control Spires could stop armour digivolution!" 

"This is different. It makes everyone very tired and hopeless, and prevents digivolving." 

"Whoa! I wonder if that's what's making everyone in Digiworld feel tired?" 

"Maybe. We were wondering the same thing ourselves." 

"We should check it out some more. Are you going to come with us to the Digital World today?" 

"I don't think so. You see, me and Davis don't really get along. And with TK not able to make it ..." 

"Maybe you and me and Kari could go together." 

Cyan shook his head. "No ... I think it would be better if you went with Davis to keep him from getting himself killed. If he goes after Ken..." 

Cody had to agree with Cyan on that. "You're right. Maybe Yolei and I could stop him, for a while at least." 

"And as for TK and Davis, we just have to give those two time to cool off." 

"Have they ever gotten this mad at each other before?" 

"No, but I think this will pass too." Cyan shut down the computer. "I'd better go now, before Davis gets here." And before Cody could ask any more questions, Cyan and Cantomon left the room.    
  


* * *

_If you made it this far, either you've read through the whole thing, or you just skipped to the end :)   
Either way, please write a review. We put a **lot** of work into this story!   
**Thank you from both Cyan and Bradmon.**_   
  



	6. Night-time Rendezvous

** The Cyan Chronicles III **

* * *

Rift 

* * *

**_ Chapter 6   
Night-time Rendezvous _**  


Patamon could not sleep. He lay on the floor of TK's room, wings drooping down, thinking. He was not used to having to mull things over so, but the strange way the kids had been acting lately had finally forced him to. He had chatted briefly about it with TK after he had gone to bed, but the boy seemed reluctant to tell him just what was going on. All Patamon could get out of him was the fact he and Davis weren't getting along, and it could stay that way for some time. 

"I've tried a couple of times to patch things up between us," TK had told him, "but he didn't want to listen to me. So now it's up to him to come and talk to me." Then he had gone silent and would say no more on the subject. 

The more Patamon thought, the stronger grew the feeling he had to do something. Digiworld was his home, and it was in trouble. The Digidestined would save it--he had no doubt about that--but they had to do it together. He knew the Digidestined always worked together. They couldn't save the Digital World any other way. 

A long time he lay on the floor, thinking on this. Finally, though, he knew he had to stop thinking and do something. But he realized he would need help. 

Quietly so as not to wake TK, Patamon rose into the air and slowly floated over to the bedroom door. It was open just a little, allowing air to circulate through the apartment. Gently he nudged it ajar a bit further, then flew out of the bedroom and away down the hall, leaving TK asleep and alone in his bed. 

At the end of the hallway he turned into the living room. TK's mother had left the balcony door open to cool down the apartment, leaving the screen in place to keep out insects. Patamon was relieved. The big glass siding door on the balcony was far too heavy for him to move by himself, but with only the screen there, he could make it outside easily and quietly. He could probably have made his way out of the apartment by way of the main door, but he would have risked making noise and waking TK's mom. 

Carefully he flew to the screen door. Clutching its handle in his little paws, he flapped his wings in an effort to slide it open. It did not move. He flapped harder, but still it would not budge. Then he remembered how TK sometimes did something before he could open the screen. Of course--it was locked. Patamon hovered, searching in the dim light for the latch. He found it easily enough and flipped it open. Grasping the handle and flapping his wings again, he tugged until the screen slid open. Relieved, he flew outside, then turned around and as quietly as he could closed it again. 

Now he stopped and hovered, uncertain where to go next. The first part of his plan was to get Poromon, for he knew he could fly. But which apartment in the block was Yolei's? He had been there only once, and, of course, had seen it only from the inside. He began thinking again, slowly floating down as he did so. 

Poromon lived above him: he remembered that much. But Patamon had no idea how many floors up he had to go, nor on what side of the building he should look. He felt the cold concrete of the balcony floor touch his belly as his gentle descent come to an unexpected stop. Looking around him, his eye fell on a collection of stuff that might be found in a household of a working mother and a boy: a broken bicycle, an unused barbecue, a struggling bonsai. 

The little tree caught his attention. Now he remembered ... there was a plant on Yolei's balcony, too. A tall one, with broad leaves. He flew off, zig-zagging his way around the upper floors of the building, searching. 

It took Patamon nearly ten minutes of flying to find a balcony with a plant that looked like the one he remembered. He landed there and looked carefully at it and the two chairs, struggling to recall what else he had seen. At last convincing himself he had the right place, he carefully flew around, looking into nearby windows and patio doors. 

He was rewarded at the second door. The room beyond was definitely Yolei's: a computer sat on a tidy desk under a Wada Kouji poster. It was too dark for Patamon to know for certain if anyone was sleeping in the bed, but he assumed if TK was asleep, Yolei would be too. Fortunately as well, the main glass door had been left slightly ajar to allow fresh air into the bedroom. 

Now he had to get Poromon's attention. He opened his mouth a little, and rapidly but quietly let out three high pitched whistles. Yolei stirred in her bed but did not awaken. Poromon, however, heard it clearly and woke up in an instant, alert. He looked around for the source of the warning sound. 

Patamon spoke in an urgent whisper. "Poromon! Poromon! Come here!" 

"What?" asked Poromon, in a normal voice. Patamon winced. 

"Shhh! Not so loud! Come over here, to the outside!" 

"Patamon, is that you?" Poromon had not moved, but at least this time he whispered. 

"Yes, it's me! Come over here so we can talk quietly!" 

Poromon made his way over to the screen door, narrowly missing Yolei's shoes set neatly near the foot of her bed. "What do you want? It's late and I want to sleep." 

"The Digital World's in trouble, and I need your help," said Patamon. "Can you come with me?" 

"With you? Why? Where?" 

"We'll have to talk about that later. First we have to get you out of here." 

Poromon balked. "I can't leave leave Yolei. She needs me." 

"Not as much as the Digital World needs you. Come on ... unlatch the screen and come outside." 

Poromon hesitated. Never before had he been out of Yolei's presence while outside the Digital World. Yet Patamon seemed so insistent. And he was TK's digimon. To Poromon, TK was an Important Digidestined. 

"How do I unlatch the door?" he asked. 

Patamon rose to the level of the latch. "Just fly up to where I am and look for something that looks like a twig stuck in the wall. Then push down on it." 

Poromon did as he was instructed, and after a minute's searching located the latch and opened it. Patamon opened the screen, let Poromon fly out, then closed it behind them. 

"Now we have to go find Demi-Veemon," Patamon told his little friend. 

"Why him?" asked Poromon. "I'd rather talk to Upamon. He's easier to get along with." 

"Because he's Davis's digimon, and we need to get Davis and TK talking again." 

"Oh, not those two again!" Poromon's distaste for the tiff between the two boys was noticeable. 

"Yes, those two. We have to get all the Digidestined together in the same place, or else the Digital World won't survive. And I know just the place." 

"Where?" 

"Can we wait 'til later to talk about it? We should be going to Demi-Veemon's place now." 

Yet Poromon remained unconvinced. "I don't know about this. I mean, I've never left Yolei alone before in this world. And I don't really feel like flying around in a strange place in the middle of the night." 

"Please?" Patamon pleaded. "Demi-Veemon won't listen to me as long as TK and Davis are fighting. I need you because you and Demi-Veemon are on the same side, and if you're with me he just might listen to me." 

"Maybe he'll think that I've gone over to your side and chase both of us away." 

"We'll have to take that chance. But we have to try." 

"Why do we have to do this now? Can't it wait?" 

Patamon considered this. Perhaps he was being premature, flying off in a needless hurry to fix something that would just sort itself out if he left it alone. And yet there was the gnawing thought that things would not fix themselves, that the strange temple's aura of discouragement and helplessness would grow ever larger, claiming more and more digimon in its wake and even the Digidestined themselves, until the whole of the Digital World would be drowned, dissolving into despair, and then into chaos, and then finally into nothing at all. No, thought Patamon, delay was the enemy here, and he had to convince Poromon of it. 

"It can't wait," he said at last. "Did you feel tired and sad the last time you were in the Digital World?" 

"A bit tired. Yes, and sad, too. But maybe that's because ... well ... " Poromon trailed off, lost for words, for now that he thought of it he could not determine why he had felt this way. 

"You don't know the half of it," said Patamon. "There's a big place in the Digital World that no-one's ever seen before, and it makes everyone around it feel tired and sad. We need to get the Digidestined together there so they can fix it." 

"But it's cold out here. I don't really want to go out flying." 

"Poromon! Do you want to see the Digital World again? Unless you help me, it may not be there in a few days! Please, come with me. If you're not going to do it for me, then do it to help Demi-Veemon and Upamon and Agumon and Gatomon ..." 

Patamon's naming of their digimon friends finally shook Poromon from his complacency. Up to now he had been thinking only of himself, Yolei, and perhaps Demi-Veemon, but now he realized many more could be affected, too. 

"All right, I'll come with you." 

Together they rose into the air. Poromon took the lead, for he seemed to know the way. Seeking a reference point, they went around the building to the same side as the main entrance. From there they navigated the streets and corners of the city on a track they hoped would lead them to Davis' home and Demi-Veemon. They kept their altitude, for even at night Patamon was afraid they would attract unwanted attention. 

Patamon's main concern was the length of time it could take to locate the building where Davis and Demi-Veemon lived. But Poromon had a good head for navigation and found the place without difficulty. Once there he flew confidently up the building's face to the correct balcony. Again they were in luck, for the block's design was similar to the one they lived in, and Davis' bedroom had a door to the balcony. As he had done back at Poromon's place, Patamon sounded a three whistle alarm to get Demi-Veemon's attention. He had to do it twice before Demi-Veemon woke up. 

"Who's whistling?" came a groggy voice from the inside. 

"It's Patamon and Poromon," whispered Patamon. 

"We're sleeping. Go away!" 

"Demi-Veemon, come over here. We need to talk with you." 

There was a long pause, so long that Patamon considered whistling again to make sure Demi-Veemon had not fallen asleep. But it was not necessary, for he finally heard the sound of light little footsteps inside coming over to the door. "Why you wake me?" Demi-Veemon asked petulantly when he was at last face to face with the other two. 

"I'll tell you in a moment. First we'd like you to come out here, so we can talk and Davis can't hear us." 

"Why do we have to do that?" 

"Because I don't want Davis to find out I've been here. It's important." 

"OK." The little blue digimon put a small hand against the screen and slid it open, then went outside. 

"How did you do that?" asked Patamon, surprised. "Both TK and Yolei lock their doors at night." 

"Davis doesn't, so I can go outside and get some fresh air at night." 

"Lucky for us," said Poromon. 

To lessen the chance their conversation would disturb anyone in the apartment, both Poromon and Patamon ventured over to the centre of the balcony. Demi-Veemon followed. 

"What's so important to wake me up?" Demi-Veemon demanded when they had finally found a place to sit and talk. 

"The Digital World needs help, and you're the only one who can help us right now," said Patamon. 

"Me? What's wrong?" 

"Well, you know that fight Davis had with TK--" 

Demi-Veemon interrupted. "What fight?" 

Patamon paused. Himself, he knew all about it, for he had seen the fight from his hiding place at the school. It had occupied his mind almost constantly since. "He didn't tell you about it?" 

"No." 

Inwardly Patamon frowned, afraid Demi-Veemon would think he was making all this up. But he needed Demi-Veemon's help, and he believed the best way of getting it was to try explaining things to him. He just hoped the in-training digimon could grasp it all. 

"OK. Well, Davis and TK got into a fight yesterday. Now they're not friends any more. That's why me and Gatomon and Cantomon haven't gone with you to the Digital World the last couple of days. Yesterday we found a big spooky place there that makes everyone feel very tired--" 

Again Demi-Veemon interrupted. "What was so spooky about it?" 

"Well, everything seemed dark. It stopped me from digivolving when we got attacked by a Goldtyrramon. And even though it was really big, as if it was built for champion digimon, it had a nursery rhyme carved into the wall beside the gate." 

"What's a nursery rhyme?" Demi-Veemon asked. 

Patamon was dumbfounded. "You've never heard of a nursery rhyme?" 

"No. But I'm only a few weeks old!" 

"Oh. It's a little poem older digimon tell to the younger ones. This one said: 

    _ "Six little bees   
Fly away! Fly away!   
Look for six wildflowers   
To brighten your day!" _

"That's nice," said Demi-Veemon. 

"I guess so," Patamon replied. "But I don't have a clue as to why it would be there." 

"I think I know," said Poromon. Up to now he had been content to let Patamon do all the talking, and was even wondering why he had been asked along. Now he realized he had something to contribute. As Hawkmon he was a touch older than the other Digimon and more wise, and this wisdom would now be useful. He continued. 

"Nursury rhymes like that usually refer to something that happened a long time ago. But this one is different. Tentomon told me about it, and he said it refers to something that will happen." 

"What's supposed to happen?" asked Demi-Veemon. 

"I'm getting to that. The six little bees refer to digimon. The six wildflowers the bees are supposed to look for are the Digidestined. " 

"Are those digimon the rhyme refers to supposed to be us?" asked Patamon. 

"I think so. Right now there are six of us: you, Demi-Veemon here, me, Upamon, Gatomon, and Cantomon." 

Demi-Veemon said nothing; Patamon and Poromon were talking too quickly about too many things he knew nothing about, and was completely lost. But Patamon, older and more knowledgeable in the ways of the Digital World, continued thinking the idea through. "The rhyme says the bees have to go looking for the flowers, but we know where our Digidestined are, so we don't have to go looking for them." 

Poromon had to stop and think about this one. Instinctivly he knew the answer, but he had trouble putting it into words. "You're right. But see, the poem has us digimon going out and looking for the Digidestined instead of the other way around. That means it's us that have to do something." 

A light came on. "We're doing that right now!" Patamom exclaimed. "By you and me coming over here to talk with Demi-Veemon like this, we're actually doing something ourselves, instead of waiting for the Digidestined to do it first." 

"You're right," said Poromon. "I mean, I've never left Yolei behind in this world before." 

"And I've never left TK, either. So we are doing something we've never done before." 

"Flying away, just like the rhyme says." 

"And _really_ flying," said Patamon. "I mean, that's how we got over here." 

Finally little Demi-Veemon found a chance to speak. "I don't understand any of this." 

Poromon looked at him and said kindly, "Don't worry about that. You'll understand when you get older. Right now it's important for you to know what to do." 

"And what's that?" 

Patamon answered him. "We need to get all the Digidestined together at that place I was telling you about. I can get TK and his friends there, but I need you to get Davis to go there when you go into the Digital World tomorrow. Do you think you can do that?" 

"I can try," replied Demi-Veemon, with determination. 

Patamon was relieved almost beyond words. Demi-Veemon's promise to talk to Davis had made this strange, almost mad, trip worth all the risk and tension. "Please try!" he said, trying to reinforce the thought. 

"Tell Davis the Digimon Emperor has his base there," said Poromon. "He will go there for sure." 

"Where is it?" Demi-Veemon asked. "How will I know where to look?" 

"Look around for a forest, then head into it," said Patamon. 

"From what Patamon tells me," Poromon added, "that place is pretty big. You should be able to find it with no problem." 

"And it's getting stronger every day," Patamon said. "I'd be surprised if you _couldn't_ find it. And remember, this is important. You'll remember, won't you?" 

"Sure I will!" exclaimed the little blue digimon. 

This time Patamon knew he would. "Thanks, Demi-Veemon! Digiworld is counting on you." 

"Thank you," said Poromon. "Now go back to Davis. We will see you tomorrow, in the Digital World."    
  


* * *

_If you made it this far, either you've read through the whole thing, or you just skipped to the end :)   
Either way, please write a review. We put a **lot** of work into this story!   
**Thank you from both Cyan and Bradmon.**_   
  



	7. Return to the Temple

** The Cyan Chronicles III **

* * *

Rift 

* * *

**_ Chapter 7   
Return to the Temple _**  


From the moment TK awoke the next morning, Patamon pestered him about visiting the temple again. It was a tough sell. TK was dead set against the idea, afraid its effects would bring another near disaster upon them all. But Patamon was insistent. He told TK he _knew_ the Digital World's current problems were centred there, and if he would just go there again they could try to make things right. 

"One of the reasons we were defeated there the last time was because we were caught off guard," he told TK. "This time we'll know what we're getting into, and won't be so surprised and so tired." 

Just before they left for school TK finally agreed to go, but half-heartedly, and only so Patamon would be quiet. He already took a bit of teasing from some of his friends for bringing what appeared to be a stuffed animal to school every day, and had no desire to see the ridicule pushed up several notches if they discovered he carried on conversations with it as well. He was afraid if he did not agreee, Patamon would bug him about it all the way there. 

TK was surprised to find Cyan and Cantomon waiting for him in the foyer when he came off the elevator. "What are you doing here? I thought you were staying with my brother." 

"True," Cyan replied. "But I haven't switched schools. I caught a bus to school and just got off a few blocks early." 

"Well, I'm happy for the company," TK replied. "Let's go." 

They headed out, taking as they went. TK mentioned that ever since the fight with Davis, both Yolie and Cody seem to be avoiding him. 

"That's strange," Cyan replied. "I met Cody yesterday in the computer lab. He was there specifically to find out what's going on." 

"What did you tell him?" 

"Told him about the fight. First time he'd heard about it--I guess Davis hasn't been telling him and Yolie everything. It also turns out Davis has been sending out e-mails to them making excuses as to why we weren't showing up." 

TK shook his head. "I don't know what it is with Davis," he said. 

"I'd say it has something to do with Kari, but she's in our little group instead of his. I don't know what he thinks he's doing, either. Could it have to do with what's going on with the Digital World and that temple?" 

"Perhaps. It does seem to affect people. Patamon made me promise to go back there today." 

"Patamon's bothering you about it? That's new to me. Any idea why?" 

Patamon answered for TK. "It's just that I'm sure if you people go back there we can fix what's wrong with the Digital World." 

"You seem to be rather confident of our abilities," said Cyan. 

"You're Digidestined!" said Patamon. "You can do anything!" 

Almost to himself, Cyan said, "I'll settle for protecting TK and Kari, thanks." Then to TK and Patamon, "I don't know what we'll find, but I'll go if you will. Besides, I have a score to settle there." 

"We'll be going there," said TK. "I promised Patamon we would. As for settling scores, just be careful, Cyan. I don't want you getting hurt." 

When they arrived at school, TK as usual surreptitiously slipped Patamon into one of the many hiding places they used around the grounds. Later that morning he and Cantomon carefully made their way over to a regular gathering place to meet with Gatomon. There Patamon told them of his meeting the night before and their planned return to the temple. Poromon, Demi-Veemon, and Upamon were not there, and it seemed that so long as the Digidestined were split into two groups, their digimon would be also. All Patamon and his companions could do was hope little Demi-Veemon would remember what he had to do.   
  


* * *

  


TK met Kari and Cyan at their normal after-hours time in the school computer lab. Much to Patamon's relief, TK started out by saying they would make a return visit to the Temple. 

"Is it safe to go back, TK?" was Kari's first thought. 

"I don't know," TK replied. "Besides, _safe_ isn't really an option here. I feel we should go back, so we can find out what's going on in the Digital World." 

As usual, Cyan supported TK. "I agree. Nothing we ever do is safe. The answer is there, we can be sure of that." 

"We'll be all right," said Gatomon. "If something attacks, we can still protect you." 

And Cantomon added, "Even if we are tired, anything we fight there will be just as tired." 

Cyan was not quite as assured as his digimon. "I don't know if I can win in a fight, but I'll try anyway." 

"It's settled, then," said TK. "Digiport open!"   
  


* * *

  


The Temple's influence had grown considerably over the last couple of days. The air was chill, for overhead the sky was blanketed to the horizon with low, dark clouds. And almost immediately they were nearly overcome with weariness. Although they had tried to prepare for this, the speed and force with which the lethargy gripped them was astonishing. 

"This is worse than I had imagined!" cried Kari. "I was wide awake a minute ago, but now I just want to lay down and sleep." 

"I have something that might help," said TK. "Do you have anything to drink in your school-pack?" 

"No, I don't," Kari replied. "I'm always afraid it will spill all over my books." 

Cyan came to the rescue. "I do. _Be prepared,_ I always say." And he produced a bottle of water from a side pocket in his backpack. 

Despite his weariness, TK smiled. "I say that, too." He removed his hat and put both hands inside. There came an an odd ripping sound, then out of the hat he produced a small plastic bag containing a dozen pills. "We'll take these, and our digimon can take them, too. They'll help us stay awake." 

Kari was shocked. "TK! Where'd you get those?" 

"Relax ... they're just ginsing pills. Mom takes them every once in a while if she gets tired during the day." 

"Why are they in your hat?" asked Kari. "And how did you hide them there?" 

Cyan grinned. "I always wondered if your hat was a [Tilley][1]! That just proved it." 

"It's a Tilley, all right," said TK. "One of my cousins is an exchange student in Vancouver, and she discovered them over there. She thought they were so neat she sent me one for my birthday last year." 

Cyan filled in the picture. "They've got a velcro-sealed pocket in the top for hiding little things like that. Putting the pills there sure makes it a lot easier to find them than searching through your whole backpack." 

"Right." TK didn't tell them about the thousand yen note he kept hidden there, too. "OK, take the pills, and let's start walking." 

"And take it easy on the water," Cyan added. "A litre's all I have, and we may need it for later."   
  


* * *

  


The pills helped. On its own the ginsing would have been only mildly effective, but in the Digital World it was a novelty, and its effects were magnified. So instead of feeling as though they had to sleep immediately, the weariness receded into the background, still noticeable, but not debilitating. 

Between them, TK and Cyan had plotted an entry point into Digiworld that put them into close range of the Temple. The three kids and their digimon made the hike inside of twenty minutes, and once there walked directly to the same door through which they had entered the last time. Immediately they noticed the Goldtyrramon had not moved at all from where it had fallen after throwing Cyan into the wall. They approached it gingerly, not knowing if it was dead or merely asleep. Eventually Cyan touched it. It was warm; still alive. They quickly walked away. 

"Well, we're here," said Cantomon. "Now what?" 

"See that tower?" asked TK. Of course they could; it was impossible not to. It dominated the entire temple. "I'm going to climb it. I think the answer's there." 

Cyan tried to dissuade him. "Is that a good idea? That would be quite the fall...." 

"It doesn't matter, I have to go up." TK was determined; he had made up his mind, and would not change it. 

They walked around the inner enclosure, looking for a way in, for its walls were even higher than ones surrounding the entire temple. Around the other side they found an ornate gate-house. There were no doors here, just a broad opening. On either side sat two large stone sphinxes, looking toward the outer wall of the temple two hundred and fifty feet away, as if on guard. The outer wall sported not one but two elaborately adorned identical gate-houses separated by a watch tower. The gates were big, solid double doors covered in beaten brass, tarnished almost black. Obviously it was the main entrance; they had come in by the back door. 

Looking into the inner enclosure, they at last saw fully the tower at the centre of the whole temple complex. It was not really a tower at all, but a tall and slender step pyramid rising in ten flights from its base to its tip over two hundred feet above. In Mayan style, a steep staircase ran up the front face to a small structure at the top. TK paused only a moment before declaring he would climb it. 

"Be careful, TK," said Kari. 

"Don't worry, I will." 

"I'm going with you," said Cyan. 

TK refused. "I'll go alone. There's no sense in risking more than one of us up there." 

"And you intend to stop me how?" 

TK looked at Cyan, trying to gauge his determination. There was no mistaking the intent in his eyes, and TK knew Cyan could be stubborn, all the more where his and Kari's safety was concerned. "All right... Kari, you and Gatomon stay out here. If something attacks, it will be from the inside, and you two can get away." 

"What about you?" asked Kari. 

"We'll be able to protect ourselves. Right, Cyan?" 

"I'll be able to distract anything that attacks long enough for you to get away." 

TK's face narrowed in concern. "What about you?" 

"If I can't get away, then so's my destiny." And he started toward the pyramid. TK followed. 

"Good luck," Gatomon said behind them. 

Together TK and Cyan walked past sphinxes and entered the inner temple. But they did not get far. No sooner had they passed the gate-house than the lethargy they been able to ignore all day returned in force, and grew and grew with every step they took. What started out as a confident march immediately turned into a slow walk, and then into a struggle simply to put one foot in front of the other. Finally, about fifty feet short of the pyramid, as exhausted as he had ever been before in his life, TK stopped in his tracks and collapsed to the ground.    
  


* * *

_If you made it this far, either you've read through the whole thing, or you just skipped to the end :)   
Either way, please write a review. We put a **lot** of work into this story!   
**Thank you from both Cyan and Bradmon.**_   
  


   [1]: http://www.tilley.com



	8. The Climbing of the Pyramid

** The Cyan Chronicles III **

* * *

Rift 

* * *

**_ Chapter 8   
The Climbing of the Pyramid _**  


The huge pyramid loomed over them, but Cyan ignored it; his attention was turned entirely to TK laying on the ground. He immediatly sat down beside him and shook him awake. 

"Stop it!" TK whined. "I have to sleep!" 

"You can't! Not now! You have to climb the pyramid!" 

TK looked up from the ground and craned his neck so he could see the top of the pyramid. "Are you nuts? I can't climb that!" 

"Yes, you can! It's what you came here to do!" 

"No, it isn't. I came here so I could get some rest." 

Cyan grumbled in frustration. All along, ever since Tai had effectively annointed Davis as leader, he had stood by TK, defending him, protecting him, and urging him to take what he saw as his proper role in leading the Digidestined. Now, just when the Digital World needed him to act, here he was doing nothing, sitting on the grass only steps from their goal, arguing with him about sleep. 

"TK! Come on! We didn't come all the way here just to sit on our butts and watch the Digital World fall apart!" 

TK did not respond. Cyan considered shaking him again, but suddenly realized he, too, was becoming tired. He guessed the effects of the pyramid were directly related to size, and since here he was the oldest and biggest of the Digidestined, he would be able to resist a few minutes longer. He had to make them count. 

Climbing the pyramid by himself was out of the question. All along TK had insisted this was his task, as though he and the temple were linked together. Cyan's job, now as always, was to protect the Digidestined, fight if need be, but not to take the place of any one of them in their labours. 

Flipping off TK's hat, Cyan reached inside and opened the pocket in the crown. He removed the plastic bag with the pills, opened it, and shook four of them into his hand. Closing the bag, he returned it to the hat, and put the hat aside. Fighting off a growing sleepiness, he retrieved the water bottle from his backpack's side pocket, opened it, took two pills, and washed them down. 

Both TK and Patamon had fallen fast asleep in the short time it took Cyan to do all this, TK rolling on to his side in the grass. Cyan shook him again. TK moaned and mumbled something, but did not awake. "Great!" said Cyan out loud. "Now what am I going to do?" 

"Perhaps I can help," said Cantomon. The cougar digimon got up, yawned, and stretched. His physical condition usually matched his human's, and with the ginsing even now rejuvinating Cyan, Cantomon was improving as well. He walked over to TK and licked his face twice. 

"Wha? What's happening here?" came TK's voice, weakly. "What's that awful smell?" 

"Here, take these," said Cyan, practically shoving the pills into TK's mouth, following it up with the water bottle. Still somewhat dazed, TK took the bottle and drank. 

"Now can I go back to sleep?" he asked. 

"Not yet. You have to stay awake. What's Patamon's Fresh form?" 

"Huh? Why do you want to know that?" 

"Just tell me. What is Patamon's Fresh form?" 

TK answered instantly. "Poyomon." 

"Right! Now what is Cantomon's?" 

Cyan watched as TK tried to pull the name from his memory. Recalling the answer required more effort this time, forcing TK to shake off his drowsiness to answer. 

"Cazomon." 

"Close ... that's his In-Training form. Try again." 

There was another pause while TK searched his memory. "Callomon." 

"Right." Cyan felt relieved, now that the ginsing was working its way into his system and TK seemed to be waking up. He hoped with a couple more questions TK would be fully awake and responding to the ginsing as well. "What are all the names of Kari's digimon?" 

"Snow Botamon, Nyaromon, Salamon, Gatomon, Nefertimon, and Angewomon." TK's voice was clear and the answers certain. 

"Now, remind me why we came here?" 

"We were going to climb the pyramid." 

"Are you ready to do that now?" 

"Sure. Let's go!" 

TK picked up his hat and put it on. Cyan stooped down, picked up the still sleeping Patamon, and plopped him on TK's head. The little orange digimon woke up enough to grab a foot-hold. Their strength and wills renewed, the two boys and two digimon went to the pyramid and began climbing. It was a long and difficult endeavour, for there was a great number of steps, steep and broken. Three times they paused to catch their breath, but not once were they compelled to shake off an urge to rest. 

At long last, tired and aching, they made the summit. The top of the pyramid was a base upon which had been built a structure from large stone blocks, cut square and given a good finish. It occupied much of the top, with a patio around it wide enough for four men to walk abreast. The entrance to the structure had no door: its builders had simply left open a portion of the wall about ten feet wide from floor to ceiling. The roof was flat and overhung the walls. Like everything else here, the structure was gray with age and neglect. 

TK and Cyan spent only a moment looking at the structure before heading in. It was not dark inside, for the entrance was wide enough to let in light sufficent to illuminate the interior. Inside, in the very centre of the space, stood a tall obilisk with a matte silver finish, about seven feet in height and two feet square, with a flat top. Arranged in two rows on either side of the entrance were six slender stone pedestals. Each came to about waist high on the boys, and floating in the air above each, unmoving and apparently carved from marble, was a Crest. 

There could be no mistaking them for anything else. On their right were Hope, Light, and Honour, and to their left Courage, Love, and Knowledge. Hope and Honour, TK's and Cyan's crests respectively, glowed yellow and amber from a light within, strong enough to cast shadows from the crests of Courage and Knowledge upon the opposite wall. Kari's crest of Light was glowing too, but not quite so strongly. The three belonging to Davis, Yolei, and Cody were dark. 

But before they could examine the crests further, their ears caught a strange sound from the outside; a long, drawn out squealing and creaking. Dashing to the patio, they scanned the temple area in the direction of the sound. They saw the temple's main doors opening, slowly moving inward of their own accord, until they came to rest perpindicular to their original position. 

When the creaking of the doors had ceased, they heard the sound of children's voices. Although they could not make out their words, they could clearly distingush Davis, Yolei, and Cody. From their vantage point atop the pyramid they saw six figures slowly making their way across the grassy clearing, heading for the temple. 

"What in Digiworld are _they_ doing here?" asked Cyan. 

"I don't know," said TK. "But I think it's best they're here. After all, we saw their crests in the building here, too." 

TK, Cyan, Patamon, and Cantomon watched as the three other kids and their digimon traversed the field. Soon they disappeared out of sight behind the wall, only to emerge again as they came through the left hand gate-house. For the first time, Davis, Yolei, and Cody entered the temple. 

In the instant all six of the Digidestined and their digimon were together inside the walls, there came a great, low roar from everywhere at once, like that of a great waterfall in the distance, and it quickly grew so loud that no one could speak and be heard over it. A flash caught TK's eye, and he and Cyan turned around to see the interior of the Crestuary ablaze in light. All six crests had flashed into life, spraying the inside with rays of yellow, pink, amber, orange, red, and purple light. 

The roar grew louder and the lights grew stronger, until a great globe of white light emerged from the top of the pyramid, washing over everything in its path. It slowly expanded outward through the inner enclosure, then into the outer, then out past the far walls into the glade beyond. When it reached the treeline of the forest it dissipated, and the roar that accompanied it disappeared as well. 

Yet not it was not silent. Other sounds now they heard, ones that had not been heard in the Digital World for over a week: the breeze rustling through trees, the twittering of birds, and the splashing of water as it flowed in the fountains. Digiworld had come to life again. 

The transformation was astonishing. Where once everything had been drab and grey, it was now clean and renewed. The outer walls of the temple were now a light yellow, the inner ones a bright sandstone red. Overhead the heavy grey clouds had vanished and bright sunshine poured in. The temple doors fairly blazed in reflected light. The grass had turned a deep emerald green and flowers had burst into bloom all over. The shrines and statues and stone needles glistened, while water once again flowed through the fountains and filled the reflecting ponds. The pyramid itself was a sight to behold: a great polished obsidian structure, the stairs on its face a contrasting grey, with the patio and sanctuary at the top gleaming white in the brilliant sunshine. 

The Digidestined gaped in wonder, amazed at the change and the realization it was they who had made it possible. With it came a change in them, too: the weariness and hopelessness that had smothered the Digital World was now gone, banished in its entirety. Child and digimon alike felt completely renewed, awake and alive as they had scarcely felt before. 

Suddenly another sound boomed through the area, a tremendous roar like that of a large beast. TK and Cyan saw the others suddenly run off as though panicked, but could not see why they should need to do so. Their confusion was quickly answered. From out of sight behind the inner wall, the Goldtyrramon loped in, ducking under the gate-house opening. It looked about intently, searching. Finally it cast its gaze up the pyramid and locked on to the two kids at the top. It opened its mouth and let out a roar, then started walking again, heading directly for the pyramid.    
  


* * *

_If you made it this far, either you've read through the whole thing, or you just skipped to the end :)   
Either way, please write a review. We put a **lot** of work into this story!   
**Thank you from both Cyan and Bradmon.**_   
  



	9. The Great Battle

** The Cyan Chronicles III **

* * *

Rift 

* * *

**_ Chapter 9   
The Battle at the Pyramid _**  


From the patio high over the Temple, Cyan and TK watched the Goldtyrramon make for the pyramid. Both knew there was but one staircase to the top, and they would be trapped if the beast began climbing it. Yet they were not afraid. 

"TK," said Cyan, "if he can, have Patamon digivolve to Pegasusmon and fly out of here. That Goldtyrramon and I have a score to settle!" 

"Cyan, now you're the one being an idiot! Let's just both of us get out of here!" 

"Yeah--we could get shot out of the sky ... I'm better off giving you an opening. Been nice knowing you." 

Beside him his digimon rumbled, "Cantomon, digivolve to--" 

"Knightmon!" And Knightmon stood beside Cyan. Together they drew their swords, dashed for the staircase, and ran down it. 

"You're not strong enough to fight it alone!" called TK. "Patamon, digivolve!" 

"Patamon, digivolve to ... Angemon!" cried Patamon, taking the air. In a twinking he transformed a tall digimon angel. On great, unfurled wings he swooped down the side of the pyramid calling "Hand of Fate!", aiming for the Goldtyrramon. The beast took the full force of the blast and roared, but otherwise seemed unfazed. 

In the courtyard outside, Davis, Yolei, Kari, and Cody were fleeing the Goldtyrramon, not realizing it had changed course and was even now entering the inner enclosure instead. Then ahead of them, from around the corner of the inner wall some thirty feet away, five short dark digimon suddenly appeared, each running on two powerful legs. The four children stopped short to avoid colliding with them. 

"Darkrizamon!" said Hawkmon. 

"Yikes!" cried Davis. "Digiarmour energize!" 

Yolei and Cody echoed him. "Digiarmour energize!" And their digimon responded in turn. 

"Veemon, armour digivolve to ... Flamedramon!"   
"Hawkmon, armour digivolve to ... Halsemon!"   
"Armadillomon, armour digivolve to ... Digmon!" 

Gatomon looked at Kari in amazement. "I can feel the power in this place! I can digivolve to Angewomon!" 

"Go for it!" said Kari. 

"Gatomon, digivolve to ... Angewomon!" 

Halsemon and Angewomon flew upwards and away, hoping to draw the Darkrizamons' fire away from the Digidestined. Flamedramon and Digmon rushed them on the ground. The four children retreated from the battle, knowing their digimon would handle it. The two large sphinxes at the entrance to the inner enclosure provided excellent cover, so they they ran for the closest one and hid behind it. 

_Where's that big yellow digimon?_ Davis wondered as they arrived at the sphinx. It had been there just a moment before, but now was nowhere to be seen. Then from inside the courtyard he heard the cry, "Hand of Fate!" and a roar from the Goldtyrramon as it was struck. 

Glancing out fron behind the sphinx, he saw two of the Darkrizamon had fallen already. Digmon was grappling a third, while in the air Halsemon and Angewomon were lining up against the remaining pair. Flamedramon was holding back, saving strength for when it was needed. Looking now into the inner enclosure, Davis suddenly realized where it could be put to use. 

"Flamedramon! Come here! There's something inside there we can help fight!" 

Flamedramon heard Davis and moved quickly. But instead of running to the gate-house, he headed toward the outer wall. About half way there he stopped and turned around. Running back at full speed, he executed a tremendous jump and sailed over the full forty foot height of the inner wall, landing in the pyramid's courtyard. Davis ran across the gap from the sphinxes to the inner gatehouse. 

Leaning against the sphinx, Cody thought he felt it move. He put a hand on it. It was warm to the touch and did not feel like stone. Then he felt ripples run through it, like flexing muscles. Suddenly he realised the two sphinxes were not merely statues; they were real! Why they had not awakened to now he could not tell, but had no time to wonder further. 

"Let's get out of here!" he shouted. "These sphinxes are alive, and they're waking up! Digmon! We need some help!" And he ran for the main entrance, away from the sphinxes and the Goldtyrramon. The others all followed, save for Davis, who even now was entering the pyramid's courtyard. 

Flying high in the air, Halsemon heard Cody's shout and quickly analysed the new threat. "Sphinxmon--two of them! The Darkrizamon were weak compared to these!" 

"Where'd that blasted Flamedramon go?" rumbled Digmon. "We could sure use him now." 

"I shall get some help!" Angewomon called, and she flew for the inner enclosure. 

Back at the pyramid, Cyan, Knightmon, and Angemon were slowly but surely driving the Goldtyrramon away. Angemon was flying all over, attacking from every angle, while on the ground Cyan and Knightmon did the same. Almost dancing about the huge beast, they would thrust quickly with their swords, retreat, then encroach and strike again. So deft and unpredictable were they that the digimon dinosaur was reduced to spinning about, searching in vain for a target. 

Angewoman came flying over the inner wall. "Angemon! We need your help in the court beyond! Two Sphinxmon threaten the Digidestined!" 

"But I am otherwise engaged," Angemon called back. 

"Go for it, Angemon!" called TK from the pyramid. "Flamedramon's here now. He can take your place." 

"As you wish, young master. Angewomon, fly with me!" 

Davis entered the inner enclosure to see Cyan and Knightmon in melee with the Goldtyrramon. Seeing it up close for the first time, he suddenly realized Flamedramon was no match for it--fire attacks were ineffective against all Tyrranomon. His digimon would need to take another form. 

"Flamedramon!" he shouted at the top of his voice, hoping to be heard over the roars of the dinosaur digimon. "Revert and armour digivolve to Raidramon!" 

Everything went wrong all at once. Cyan jumped, startled by Davis' shout, and angrily thought, _What's **Davis** doing here?_ For but a second he was off his guard. It was all the Goldtyrramon needed. Around swung its mighty tail, catching Cyan full force in the chest. Big though he was, the teen flew through the air and smashed against the bottom step of the pyramid. 

"Cyan!" cried Knightmon. 

"Amber Blast!" called the Goldtyrramon, shooting a sickly yellow jet from its mouth. Too late Knightmon realized the beast was capable of two attacks at once. The blast caught him as he tried to get out of the way, and he reverted to Cantomon before hitting the ground. Coming to a deft halt, he turned in a flash to face the huge digimon again, growling and hissing. The yellow monster glared at the angry feline with its blazing blue eyes, then turned its attention back to the pyramid. 

Standing on the high patio, TK saw the battle in the courtyard suddenly go terribly wrong: Cyan was out cold, Flamedramon and Knightmon had reverted, and the Goldtyrramon once again was preparing to climb the pyramid. Immediately he thought of recalling Angemon. But even as he prepared to do so, he heard a strange clicking noise coming from one side. Turning around, he saw several large beetle-like digimon come scuttling out of the Crestuary. They stopped, eyeing TK, then without warning leaped into the air directly for him. 

Instinctively he threw up his arms to fend off the impacts. Three of the bug-digimon glanced off him and flew erratically away, but turned around and headed back. TK spun about and flailed his arms, desperately trying to fend them off. Two more hit him. He dropped to the ground, curled himself into a ball, and tried to roll away from the marauding digimon. 

It was a terrible mistake. Even as he started his roll, TK realized he didn't know where the edge of the patio was. He tried to correct and change directions, but was too far in to bail out. Then in horror he felt the patio stones disappear from under him. Screaming, he dropped twenty feet to the next step of the pyramid below. 

"Hand of Fate!" called Angemon. "Celestial Arrow!" cried Angewomon in turn. They had engaged the Sphinxmon, and blasts of energy echoed through the temple. "Gold Rush!" called Digmon, and pressed his attack. 

"Tutankhamen's Curse!" replied one of the Sphinxmon. But it was still waking up from its long sleep, and the bolt ran out of energy just shy of Angemon, who easily evaded it. 

Yesterday, with the Digidestined divided and the Temple of Despair building in power, the Sphinxmon might have prevailed; but Digiworld was restored now, and against the combined potential of the six children they stood scarcely a chance. "Tempest Wing!" cried Halsemon in response to the Sphinxmon's curse attack. On the ground the enormous Digmon advanced like an unstoppable force. Ears back and growling, the Sphinxmon began backing away from him. 

Davis heard a scream from high up the pyramid, and looked up just in time to see something fall from the top to the next step down. The Goldtyrramon heard it, too. Raising its head, it let out a great bellow, then once more walked toward the pyramid. 

Now with a roar Cantomon flung himself into the air, all claws out, aiming as high up the beast's back as he could. The Goldtyrramon felt a sudden, intense pain. His hide was thick, but Cantomon's claws were long and sharp. The dinosaur digimon thrashed around, bellowing, trying to dislodge the cat clinging to his back. But Cantomon would not be thrown off so easily. Sinking in his fangs as deeply as he could, he used them and his claws to hang on. 

The Goldtyrramon made a couple more futile attempts to throw him off, then suddenly fell over. At first Cantomon thought he had killed it, then realized the beast was about to roll on its back and crush him. Instantly he let go and jumped for safety. He hit the ground hard and skidded to a halt on the grass. Struggling to his feet, he limped away, keeping a front paw off the ground. 

Davis ran back to the safety of the inner gate-house and hid to one side. Looking back, he watched with a mixture of horror and fascination as Goldtyrramon regained its feet, walked unopposed to the pyramid, and began climbing the staircase. Its progress was slow, for it was obviously in pain from the wounds on its back, which bled profusely. But its goal was clear, and it would struggle to the death to fulfill it. 

Raidramon came around the side of the pyramid and ran to Davis. In this form he resembled a large dog, running on all fours. He spied in the outer courtyard that which Davis apparently hadn't: the two Sphinxmon in a stalking pose low to the ground, apparently seeking out the Digidestineds' latest hiding place. Looking back, he saw the Goldtyrramon just starting to climb the pyramid. 

"Davis, what should I do?" he asked. "There's a Sphinxmon outside and the Goldtyrramon in here!" 

Davis paused. A thought flashed through his mind. Raidramon probably had not seen TK fall, or he would not be here asking for instructions. All Davis need do now was send him out after the Sphinxmon; it would occupy him for a minute or two, and in that time the Goldtyrramon would take care of TK. TK would be out of the way completely; Davis would be the undisputed leader of the Digidestined; and Kari would be his forever ... 

Outside, the two Sphinxmon crouched side by side, warily watching the three digimon flying over them and Digmon on the ground nearby. They were in an uneasy standoff: neither side had launched an attack since Haslemon had fired off his Tempest Wing. Ever so slowly, one of them raised its head until it was able to look Angemon in the face. Then he called out to him, "Angemon! We're on _your_ side!" 

"Davis!" Raidramon sounded almost panicky. Why was his Digidestined not saying anything? "I'm here! What do you want me to do?" 

"TK's fallen off the top of the pyramid and is lying up there somewhere! Save him!" 

"Right!" Running to the pyramid, Raidramon raced up it in great bounds, using the pyramid's steps as though they were a giant staircase. At the top he carefully picked up the unconscious TK in his mouth and dragged him over to the stairs, then up to the patio and into the Crestuary just ahead of the slow-climbing Goldtyrramon. Racing out again, he called out, "Thunder Blast!", and hurled himself bodily at TK's nemesis with all his strength. 

The blast stopped the great yellow digimon in its tracks; Raidramon colliding with it sent it tumbling back down. It hit the ground with such a force the pyramid itself seemed to shudder. The Goldtyrramon let out one final, weak roar, then disintegrated into its component bits and vanished.    
  


* * *

_If you made it this far, either you've read through the whole thing, or you just skipped to the end :)   
Either way, please write a review. We put a **lot** of work into this story!   
**Thank you from both Cyan and Bradmon.**_   
  



	10. The Temple of Harmony

** The Cyan Chronicles III **

* * *

Rift 

* * *

**_ Chapter 10   
The Temple of Harmony _**  


     _ Tomorrow we'll have good weather,  
And continue into my dreams  
Let's make friends with the weather god  
Look, if we shake hands, it's like telepathy  
  
Let me see your smile, I'm sure it'll be all right  
_
"Be All Right" (Takeru's theme) 

"If you were on our side, why did you attack our digimon?" asked Cody. He, Yolie, and Davis stood in front of the two large Sphinxmon, talking with them. 

"We were asleep for a long time," the Sphinxmon replied. His voice was deep, and it spoke slowy and carefully. "It took a while to wake up completely. The first thing I was aware of was being attacked from above." 

The other Sphinxmon, a female, spoke up in a bright contralto voice. "We are the guardians of this place. Our duty is to defend, not to attack. We responded in self-defense." 

"It was a misunderstanding," said Angemon. "Everything else in here was dangerous, and we believed you would be, too. I decided to launch a pre-emptice strike to prevent you from running after the Digidestined."" 

"We apologize for it," said Angewomon. "I hope we did not harm you." 

"No harm," said the male Sphinxmon. "Your apology is accepted." 

"We now return to our duty," said his partner. And she and the other Sphinxmon returned to their places and settled in. 

Then Cody and his friends heard TK calling from the pyramid. "Angemon! Angewomon! I need your help here!" 

* * *

"Wow! What a sight!" exclaimed Davis. "You can almost see Primary Village from here!" 

"Nothing new for me," said Hawkmon, "I see the Digital World like this all the time." 

Yolei giggled. "Yeah, but we can't fly, Bird Brain!" She said it both with humour and affection. 

After the battle, Just as Cody had finished his discussion with the Sphinxmon, TK had come out of the Crestuary whole and restored, showing neither bump nor bruise from his fall off the patio. Surmising the Crestuary held potent healing powers, he had called for Angemon and Angewomon to carry the injured Cyan and Cantomon there and take them within. 

Then Halsemon and Digmon reverted to Rookie form and joined the other Digidestined climbing the pyramid. Now they were gazing out over the Digital World. All save Kari, who had joined TK in the Crestuary, watching over Cyan and Cantomon as they lay at the base of the crest of Honour. Within a minute Cyan opened his eyes; in three he was strong enough to speak; and in five he could stand. 

A few minutes later they walked out of the Crestuary, Cyan and Cantomon showing no hint of the injuries they had sustained in the battle. Now all the Digidestined and their digimon stood on the patio at the top of the pyramid. The sun was just starting to set, turning the white stones of the patio a delicate orange. Behind them the Crestuary glowed softly. But Cyan and Cantomon did not immediately join the others. Instead, Cantomon asked Cyan to go with him to another corner of the patio, and there the two talked quietly for a short time. Then Cyan wandered over to Davis. 

"May I have a word?" he asked quietly. 

"Sure," said Davis. "What about?" 

Cyan started walking back to Cantomon, beckoning Davis to follow. Davis did so, leaving Veemon behind, and together they went around the side of the Crestuary, out of sight of the others. When Cyan stopped and turned to speak, Davis appeared worried. 

"Cantomon tells me you were hesitating before deciding to save TK," said Cyan. "What made you actually decide to?" 

Davis started. He had not expected anyone to have noticed his moment of doubt. And even now he did not fully understand why he had acted the way he did. The words did not come easily. 

"TK's as much a part of this group as any of us ..." he began. 

"I don't believe that, coming from you!" Cyan was noticeably upset. "I expected you to just leave him, to get Kari to yourself." 

Davis shook his head. "Cyan, we're all Digidestined. That's what counts. As for Kari, well, yeah, I might have gotten her, but if she ever found out, she'd never have anything to do with me again ..." 

Cyan turned his gaze away from Davis and out over Digiworld, and muttered, "That's if she had time to find out before I killed you first." 

Davis defended himself. "But when I was thinking about it, I also realized I probably wouldn't be able to live with myself, either. I don't have the Digimental of Friendship for nothing, you know." 

"Sometimes I wonder about that," said Cyan, returning his gaze to Davis. 

"C'mon, Cyan, I know we don't really get along--you'll always support TK. But well, I had to save him. He's my friend, too. And so are you." 

Cyan tried to be conciliatory, despite his poor opinion of Davis' competency. "I don't like the way you do things--you know that for a fact--but I will follow you as long as you're the leader." But even as he said that, he thought to himself, _as long as you're not about to get us all killed!_

"OK," said Davis. "Let's go back and join the others. We should be heading back soon." 

They returned to where their friends had gathered. Yolei and Hawkmon were still looking out over the panorama before them, and beside them Cody and Armadillomon were doing the same. TK and Kari stood a little distance off, marvelling at the deep red sunset. Patamon lay on TK's hat, while Kari held Gatomon in one arm. Her other was around TK. 

Had Cyan not been beside him, Davis would have immediately run over to them. But he held his pace. To Davis' relief, Cyan walked in TK's direction. Davis tagged along behind; he knew Cyan would be wanting to talk with TK, so he could have a few moments with Kari. 

"This place is so beautiful!" they heard Kari say as they came up behind them. "I really wish we could stay here forever!" 

"Be careful what you wish for," said TK. "You just might get it." 

"We'll have to come back here, you know. I'd love to spend a whole day and a whole night here." 

"We will come back. Now that we know this place exists, we'll have to look after it. It's too powerful to be ignored for long." 

"Hi Kari! Hi TT!" said Davis as he and Cyan approached. Kari jumped, startled. 

_"TT?"_ asked TK, turning around and grinning. 

"Sorry," said Davis. "You know I have trouble with your name sometimes." But he had a silly grin on his face as he said it. 

Cyan ignored Davis and spoke to TK. "There was something strange about that Goldtyrramon that kind of disturbs me." 

"Like what?" 

"Well, for one thing, it was yellow in colour--the same colour as your hair. And it had blue eyes. How many here have blue eyes?" 

TK's eyes went wide open. "Just me and my brother. Yours are kind of blue, too, but not nearly as much as mine or the Goldtyrramon's." 

"Right. And Cantomon told me that it started climbing the pyramid, even though he had injured it pretty badly. That thing had a goal in mind." 

"It was trying to get you!" cried Patamon. He flew off TK's hat and came around to look the boy in the face. "It might have killed you, and I wasn't there to protect you. Oh, TK, I'm so sorry!" 

TK reassured his little orange digimon. "Don't talk like that, Patamon. I told you to go away and help fight the Sphinxmon. At the time I thought Cyan and Knightmon and Flamedramon would take care of the Goldtyrramon. I hadn't counted on them being taken out five seconds later." He held out his arms. "Come here." Patamon flew into them, and TK drew him close. 

Cyan continued. "What worries me is that someone put a lot of work into making that Goldtyrramon. Too much work just to make one. I wouldn't be surprised if he made six of them--" 

Kari finished his thought. "--in six different colours! One for each of us." 

"That's a scary thought," said TK. "Six--well, five now--of those things running around the Digital World. We're lucky we caught up with this one when it was by itself." 

"Not even I fancy the thought of having to fight a group of those things at once," said Cantomon. 

"And mine's likely to be a fair bit larger than the others," mused Cyan. "I don't know if want to meet that guy after fighting the Goldtyrramon!" 

"Save the Tyrranomon!" quipped Davis. "Collect the whole set!" 

"Oh, be quiet!" said Cyan. "We're going to have keep our eyes open from now on, until we've taken care of the lot of them. Hopefully we'll meet no more than two at a time." 

"At least we can all count on each other," said Kari. "Veemon told me how Davis ordered him to save TK after he fell down the pyramid. That was such a _noble_ thing to do!" 

Cyan did not tell her that Veemon had related only half the story. The other half -- Davis' hesitation at giving the order -- he would keep to himself. It might prove useful in the future. 

They all went quiet, content to let the birds and insects sing while the sun slipped below the horizon. And when the last rays of light had disappeared from the pyramid, a thousand torches spontaneously lit along both walls of the Temple, first the inside and then the outside, bathing the entire complex in a soft flickering light that danced off everything within. A myriad fireflies began flicking about the pyramid. 

"I guess it's time we went home," said TK at length. "We'll have to find a digiport somewhere." 

"I already have," said Yolei. "Check your D-3. There's one inside there." She pointed to the Crestuary. 

"But I didn't see a TV set in there," said Cody. 

"Neither did I," Yolei responded. "But my D-3 says there's one." 

"So let's go in and see," Davis said. 

Their digimon beside them, the six Digidestined entered the Crestuary. And when all six were inside, their crests flashed briefly as if in welcome, then the obilisk in the centre came to life. From within it, on each of its four faces, came a rectangular glow, as though a TV screen had been set behind a thin veneer. On those screens the familiar pattern of the digiport appeared. 

"All right!" exclaimed Yolie. "Digiport open!" 

They were drawn inside, and then the pyramid and the great Temple of Harmony about it disappeared, and they were back in the familiar surroundings of the computer lab. 

"Hey, this reminds me of something," said Davis to Kari. "Do you have that Wada Kouji CD you were gonna lend me?" 

Kari laughed. "Actually, no. I loaned it to TK instead." 

"I have it here," said TK, reaching into his pack. "You can have it for a few days." 

"Gee, thanks OK," said Davis. 

Patamon smiled. Finally his Digidestined and Veemon's were talking to each other again. 

** -- End -- **

  
  


* * *

_If you made it this far, either you've read through the whole thing, or you just skipped to the end :)   
Either way, please write a review. We put a **lot** of work into this story!   
**Thank you from both Cyan and Bradmon.**_   
  



End file.
